8 Strong Chinese Idioms With Ox (牛)
Discover Chinese idioms featuring the ox (牛), symbolizing hard work, strength, and determination.
The ox (牛, niú) symbolizes hard work, strength, and determination in Chinese culture. Ox idioms celebrate diligence and steady progress.
汗牛充栋
hàn niú chōng dòngVast amount of knowledge
Literal: Sweat ox fill house
Originally describing the vast quantity of books that would make an ox sweat (汗牛) from carrying them and fill (充) entire buildings (栋), this Tang Dynasty idiom emerged from descriptions of imperial libraries and private collections. The metaphor of sweating oxen straining under loads of books and bu...
Example
The professor's research publications filled entire library shelves
教授的研究著作充满了整个图书馆的书架
目无全牛
mù wú quán niúAchieve instinctive mastery
Literal: Eyes see no whole ox
This idiom comes from the Zhuangzi's famous story of butcher Ding, whose eyes (目) no longer saw (无) the whole (全) ox (牛) but rather the spaces between its joints. After years of practice, his knife moved effortlessly through these spaces, never touching bone or tendon. The story illustrates how deep...
Example
After decades of practice, the chef could create masterpieces without recipes
经过几十年的练习，这位厨师可以不用食谱创作出杰作
对牛弹琴
duì niú tán qínPresent to wrong audience
Literal: Play zither to cow
This satirical idiom describes playing (弹) the guqin zither (琴) to (对) a cow (牛), originating from the Warring States period. Historical records attribute it to musician Gongming Yi, who attempted to perform sophisticated melodies for a cow that continued grazing, completely indifferent to the refin...
Example
The professor's advanced theory completely confused the elementary students
教授的高级理论让小学生完全困惑不解
庖丁解牛
páo dīng jiě niúEffortless skill through perfect practice
Literal: Chef Ding butchers ox
This idiom comes from Zhuangzi's famous 4th century BCE parable about Cook Ding (庖丁) skillfully butchering an ox (解牛). The story tells of him explaining to his lord how decades of practice led him beyond mere visual guidance to intuitive mastery. During the Han Dynasty, the tale became a standard me...
Example
After thirty years of practice, the surgeon performed complex operations with effortless precision
经过三十年的实践，这位外科医生以毫不费力的精确度进行复杂手术
九牛一毛
jiǔ niú yī máoA drop in the bucket; negligible amount
Literal: One hair from nine oxen
This idiom comes from a letter written by the great Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian (司马迁) to his friend Ren An. After being castrated as punishment for defending a disgraced general, Sima Qian wrote that his death would be as insignificant as losing one hair from nine oxen - utterly negligible in th...
Example
Losing that small investment was just one hair from nine oxen compared to his total wealth.
损失那点小投资对他的总财富来说不过是九牛一毛。
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